"Seconds Could Be The Difference Between A Bloke Dying Or Living"

Billy has his say!

2017-09-16T08:39:16Z

Fox Sports

Legendary referee and Triple M's Bill Harrigan says both referees in last night's semi-final were placed in a tough situation when Corey Oates was knocked out in a sickening collision with teammate Anthony Milford.

"When you see someone go down where you think wow this is life threatening or this bloke is in a lot of bother, you'll stop play straight away," Harrigan said.

"You need to balance that out with, I have to play out the play because it's advantageous to the other team which it was (last night)."

"But in hindsight looking at that you would of loved to say play on."

"I don't blame a referee when you are out there and you see something which you think I have to stop play straight away because seconds could be the difference between a bloke dying or living, so sometimes you are going to stop play."

However, Triple M's Ryan Girdler believes play should've continued despite the KO.

"It should've absolutely been play on," Girds said.

"Once the incident happened the play had already been moved on, Penrith go around and score, then they come back and look after Oates like any other normal game."

"They should of certainly stopped it after the next play, or if the ball was coming back towards the player down, you call it off immediately but the ball wasn't the ball was gone."